By Ciera Terry
Intimacy in today’s society is surface level at best.
A part of me thinks it’s because of how media-involved love has become, but the other part of me truly believes it’s because of how scared society is when it comes to love.
Fear plays a big role in how humans interact with each other — fear in how someone is perceived, fear of rejection, fear of commitment and fear of being seen yet having a desire for love at the same time.
The act of loving is the act of being vulnerable, and many individuals are not able to meet each other’s needs in that way.
The surge of situationships that last two years or more is ridiculous. How a person can be “together” with someone for longer than six months and not have a title is beyond me.
What’s behind it?
Why is everyone so scared to love?
From phrases like “if he wanted to, he would” to “Why should I have to pay the bill on a date?” — everyone seems to have completely different standards or ideas of what dating even is.
When partners share their needs, they are putting in work to be more honest and upfront about what love means to each person.
The fear of looking like a “simp” or looking desperate is killing the romance of it all.
Dating might seem a bit dead, but … maybe it isn’t. Love just simply needs a spark and anyone can be that spark.
Love is illogical, but many try to make sense of it — that’s what makes it scary.
Love is about being bold.
Love is about being open and letting go of fear of embarrassment.
Nothing in this world is concrete or permanent; that’s why it’s important to let go of the idea that people are possessions and think of love as an experience to enjoy.
Not everything regarding love has to make sense or fall into a strict play-by-play.
Everyone is desperately craving a “Meet cute,” but when the opportunity comes, many let it pass them by, terrified that they will embarrass themselves or get rejected.
And if someone is out there debating whether or not they should share their feelings with their crush or sitting around thinking “my partner is fine without a Valentines Day,” I’d encourage people to think differently.
The moral of the story is: life is short, be in love, show it, explore it.